Should local government ban plastic straws — or be banned from banning them?

Belly up to the bar at Gilbert's Coffee Bar in Stuart and ask for a straw, and they'll give you hay.

That is, HAY! Straws: Biodegradable drinking straws made from wheat stems. Or maybe a glass straw, depending on your beverage. And if you want something to go, it too will be packed in something biodegradable.

No styrofoam. Minimal plastic. Which is why Gilbert's Coffee Bar is one of four local restaurants certified by the Treasure Coast Chapter of the Surfider Foundation as "Ocean Friendly."

And maybe, it makes a debate unfolding in the state capital — and in local communities around Florida — a moot point.

"HAY" straws, made from wheat stalks, are the drinking straw of choice at Gilbert's Coffee Bar in Stuart.(Photo: Gil Smart)

A growing number of local communities around the Sunshine State are banning plastics. Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Coral Gables recently adopted restrictions on "single use" plastic straws, joining several other local governments across the state with similar bans.

None of the bans is total — meaning the gendarmes aren't going to come drag you away if you use plastic straws in the comfort of your own home. Fort Lauderdale restricted sale or distribution of plastic straws in businesses, city facilities and permitted events; Coral Gables employed a lighter regulatory touch, banning them from city facilities, parks and at city-permitted events.

In 2019, single-use plastic straws will only be available upon request at full service restaurants in California.(Photo: JEFF CHIU/AP FILE PHOTO)

And where local communities want to pass these bans — where local officials are merely responding to constituents' wishes — there should be no problem, right?

You must be new to Florida.

Because while we talk a lot about "home rule," the reality is state legislators are often hostile to local decisions taken by local officials, warning about the danger of "big government."

So instead we get bigger government stepping in — which is exactly what's happening right now.

Rep. Anthony Sabatini, Republican of Howey-in-the-Hills, has filed a bill prohibiting local governments from adopting and enforcing "any ordinance, rule, or law that would further restrict a food service establishment from distributing single-use plastic straws to customers." An identical proposal in the Senate was filed by Republican Sen. Travis Hutson, of St. Augustine.

“The decision to use plastic straws should be made by the citizens — not government," said Sabatini in a statement; "The decision to offer plastic straws should be made by the business owners — not the government."

And apparently we need government to tell government to butt out.

Sabatini subsequently said that if local governments can make the case that "sound science" shows plastic straws are a major problem for Florida's beaches and sea life, the state should perhaps craft a policy on plastics.

Particularly along the Treasure Coast, with so many sea turtle nesting sites, plastic is a major threat to wildlife. Plastic bags — which look like jellyfish to turtles — are the biggest threat. But all plastic in the oceans gets "pulverized into smaller bits" that wind up being ingested by sea life and works its way up the food chain.

"Beaches are ground zero for plastic pollution," Mincer said. "And coastal towns are the gatekeepers; I really think they have a duty and responsibility to try to keep plastic out of the ocean."

So maybe, to have an even greater impact, the Legislature should get cracking on a statewide plastic crackdown.

None of us should hold our breath.

Which leaves us with ... what? Maybe the legislative proposals to ban the bans will go nowhere. And maybe more local towns, at the behest of local citizens, will enact their own prohibitions.

Defend the right to suck!(Photo: Nate Beeler)

But if the legislation gets through — if Florida bans the bans — that brings us back to Gilbert's Coffee Bar.

Abigail Rogan opened the shop, at Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage, this past August. She wanted the shop to embody her eco-friendly sensibilities, even though that costs a few more bucks.

"It's definitely more expensive" to use the wheat stalk straws than plain old plastic, she said. But particularly in a region with so many water pollution problems, she figured she could make a small difference, and she'd love to see other restaurateurs do the same.

"Particularly with take-out," she said; "there are so many places around town that do so much take-out." And imagine if they switched to eco-friendly packaging.

In the absence of any public legislation, imagine if private business took the lead — and customers rewarded them for it.

And other businesses noticed.

"Change," said Rogan, "can come from that."

Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist. Readers may reach him at gil.smart@tcpalm.com or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.